The culture method of tortoise back bamboo

Tortoise bamboo is evergreen vine, native to Mexico tropical rain forest, Tortoise bamboo beautiful plant shape, strange leaf shape, dark green leaf color, and rich luster, the whole plant ornamental effect is better. In addition, it also has the unique ability to attract carbon dioxide at night, sweet breeding in the room has a certain role in purifying indoor air, is now widely used as a family potted plant breeding.

Environment for the Growth of Tortoise

1, like warm avoid cold: Turtle bamboo origin in the Mexican tropical rain forest, like warm environment, avoid freezing cold weather. The temperature above 5℃ will not be frozen, and the growth above 12℃ is good.

2, like shade avoid strong light: Turtle bamboo shade tolerance is strong, in the semi-shade environment, growth is particularly good, performance growth is vigorous, aerial roots developed, leaves hypertrophy, bright dark green leaves.

3, like wet avoid waterlogging accumulation: Turtle bamboo likes to grow in a humid ecological environment. There is much rain in the south. If the waterlogging time is too long, rotten roots, stems and leaves will occur.

4, like fertile soil avoid thin soil: Turtle bamboo likes fertile soil, especially fertile sandy loam, although it can grow on red and yellow soil thin soil, but the growth becomes weak, the tree posture is deformed, the leaves become smaller, the leaf color becomes lighter, affecting the viewing effect.

5, like soil fertilizer avoid chemical fertilizer: turtle shell bamboo often apply organic fertilizer, such as cake fertilizer, artificial organic fertilizer, livestock manure, soil fertilizer, etc., its tree strength is strong, leaves are as big as disk, leaf quality is thick, leaf color is dark green, especially the tortoise shell pattern is more clear and distinct.

Breeding method of Tortoise

The propagation of turtle shell bamboo can be carried out by sowing, cutting and layering method. Now, the propagation method of turtle shell bamboo is introduced as follows:

1. Sowing and breeding

In order to improve the seed setting rate, artificial pollination is needed, and the best secondary pollination time is 9-10 am and 3-4 pm. The pollination success rate is high. It takes 15 months from pollination to seed maturity. Seeds long oval, yellow-green, like green beans after water immersion.

Sowing should be carried out indoors, on the ground or in pots. Soak seeds in warm water at 40℃ for 10 hours before sowing. The sowing soil can be plain sand, and the sowing soil should be sterilized at high temperature. The row spacing is 4~5cm and the soil cover is 0.2~0.8cm. After sowing, spray enough water, cover a small arch shed, keep the room temperature at 20-25℃ after sowing, and keep the humidity in the shed above 90%. If the room temperature is too low in the sowing process, it will not only affect the emergence, but even the seeds will rot like water stains.

When the seedlings emerged, the stems and leaves were not divided, and they were green curved cones. After a week, the cotyledons gradually expanded into heart shapes, forming young plants with distinct stems and leaves. Seedlings have strong phototaxis and grow faster under suitable conditions of light, temperature and humidity. When the seedlings are about 10cm high, they can be potted when they have 2 true leaves.

2. Cutting propagation

Cuttage propagation is actually buried stem section, the stem on the mother plant will be cut down, retain the following 3~4 stem base, let their hidden buds germinate, soon after cutting stem can be extracted 2 new stems, continue to grow. Cut down the stem according to 2~3 sections from the internode cut, cuttage with the following three methods:

① Top leaf buried stem method: There are no terminal buds and axillary buds on the stems of Tortoise. In the petiole of the upper stem leaves, the original body of new leaves is bred. Before the cow is pulled, it is covered by milky white longitudinal bracts. After the bracts are split, new leaves are born. After the new leaves are unfolded, the stem also extends forward for one node. At the same time, a groove is left in the lower part of the old leaves, so that the plant grows upward continuously. Therefore, with the top of the stem stem cuttings should be buried with top leaves, after rooting on the petiole bracts can soon split and shoot new leaves. Cuttage plants can be formed in the same year. When burying the stem, the stem segment can be planted vertically into the cutting matrix mixed with plain sand and peat soil, and the bamboo pole is inserted to straighten the terminal leaves.

2. Method of burying stem with lateral leaves: Most of the stem segments cut from the upper part of the stem of the mother plant have leaves. It is best to keep a leaf when burying the stem, which is quite beneficial to both rooting and leaf extraction. Generally, a leaf at the base is reserved, and the stem section is buried in the cutting matrix at an angle of 30o with the soil surface, and bamboo poles are inserted to straighten the leaves.

3. The method of burying stems without leaves: Most of the stem sections at the lower part of the stems do not have leaves. They can be concentrated in the most cutting container, buried at 15 degrees with the soil surface in the substrate, and the node ring at the tip is flush with the soil surface. The crescent leaf mark at the tip is upward.

Either way, the aerial roots on the stems should be cut off before planting. Cuttings should be done in late spring and early summer in well-ventilated rooms or under shade. Cuttings should always be placed in a hidden place for maintenance, often spray water mist, keep the substrate fully moist, and increase air humidity. Rooting is expected to take place in 35- 50 days at 20-25℃.

3, layering propagation

During the growth period, the aerial roots produced by the stem internodes of the first year are inserted into water bottles or buried in pot soil, and many fibrous roots can be produced on them in about 1 month. When the root grows to 2cm, cut off the lower stem node of Tortoise with a sharp knife, and plant the cut stem segment with aerial roots into a pot.

4. Plant division propagation

In summer and autumn, the lateral branches of large-scale turtle bamboo are cut down in whole sections, with partial aerial roots, and directly planted in wooden barrels or bowls, which not only has high survival rate, but also forms quickly.